Urging fans to plunge into a
virtual high-resolution surround sound universe of extraordinary games, Google
hopes its cloud-based Stadia platform will take the world by storm on its
November launch. Some games will be free and others will require payment. The
US digital behemoth unveiled details of its nascent streaming video platform at
Gamescom trade fair in Cologne in the hope it can gain massive traction among
hardcore gamers to zap past other providers of existing gaming fare. Stadia,
the world's premier event for computer and video games, offers as its USP the
chance for users to play their favorite game on a range of platforms in high
resolution quality on different media from smart TV to console or smart phone.
Google must address various
technical obstacles that go with the territory of developing cloud gaming. Although
Stadia is promising 4K high resolution at 60 frames per second for minimal time
lag, it remains to be seen how the platform can persuade players who may not
have suitably adapted screens along with fibre optic broadband or 4G
connections to subscribe. The bet for cloud gaming is thus to push independent,
if not always very visible titles—a means for Google and rival producers to
position themselves as a 'Netflix for gaming' by providing original content. Overall,
though, just as consoles did not kill off PC gaming, cloud gaming could
essentially offer an extra strand of choice for fans of video games.
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